September 11.
Bayern Munich Lead the Pack After Early-Season Action
It’s early in the season, which means league tables and form charts are bound to throw up some surprises. Even so, the top of the table rarely disappoints, and this month’s Index Ranking for clubs across Europe’s top seven leagues reflects a mix of expected contenders and a few surprising names. With the first international break of the season upon us, it’s the perfect time to take stock of where teams stand.
So far, four rounds of matches have been played in both the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Dutch Eredivisie, though some clubs in those leagues have a game in hand. Three rounds have been completed in the Premier League, Ligue 1, and La Liga—Real Betis and Celta Vigo have already played an extra game in Spain—while both the Bundesliga and Serie A have only seen two rounds of action.
At the top of the rankings, Bayern Munich lead the way with 60.5 points, a familiar sight for European football fans. Heavyweights Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid also occupy top-ten positions, while Barcelona, currently 12th, are expected to climb as the season progresses.
Elsewhere, NEC Nijmegen’s blistering start to their Eredivisie campaign earns them a surprise 10th place, while Villarreal sit 8th after strong early-season performances in La Liga.
Newly Promoted Sides Making Waves
Among the season’s promoted sides, Köln and Cremonese impress early, both sitting 15th with 32.5 points. Sunderland also earn a respectable 29th place on their Premier League return, while Elche, Lorient, and Paris FC sit mid-to-lower table.
At the other end, Alverca, Sassuolo, Pisa, Tondela, and Hamburg are struggling to get going.
With the season still in its infancy, these rankings should be taken with a pinch of salt. But early form often hints at which clubs are well-prepared for the months ahead. Bayern Munich’s strong start looks ominous for their Bundesliga rivals, Lille have impressed in France, and Villarreal and NEC Nijmegen’s early surges offer a refreshing twist to the leaderboard. As domestic and European competitions ramp up after the break, expect plenty of movement before the next index update.
PERFORMANCE INDEX RANKING
Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga) – 46 points
Liverpool (English Premier League) – 44.5 points
Villarreal (Spanish La Liga) – 44.5 points
NEC Nijmegen (Dutch Eredivisie) – 39 points
PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) – 39 points
Sporting CP (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 39 points
Arsenal (English Premier League) – 38 points
Barcelona (Spanish La Liga) – 38 points
Inter Milan (Italian Serie A) – 35 points
Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League) – 32.5 points
Porto (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 28.5 points
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Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 28 points
Getafe (Spanish La Liga) – 28 points
Athletic Club (Spanish La Liga) – 28 points
Lyon (French Ligue 1) – 28 points
Eintracht Frankfurt (German Bundesliga) – 26 points
Toulouse (French Ligue 1) – 24.5 points
Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1) – 22 points
Strasbourg (French Ligue 1) – 22 points
Chelsea (English Premier League) – 21.5 points
Utrecht (Dutch Eredivisie) – 20.5 points
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Braga (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 19.83 points
Moreirense (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 19.17 points
Augsburg (German Bundesliga) – 19 points
Wolfsburg (German Bundesliga) – 19 points
Marseille (French Ligue 1) – 18 points
Nottingham Forest (English Premier League) – 17 points
Espanyol (Spanish La Liga) – 17 points
Lille (French Ligue 1) – 17 points
Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie) – 15.17 points
Union Berlin (German Bundesliga) – 14 points
Hoffenheim (German Bundesliga) – 14 points
Como (Italian Serie A) – 14 points
Juventus (Italian Serie A) – 14 points
Napoli (Italian Serie A) – 14 points
Cremonese (Italian Serie A) – 14 points
Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie) – 14 points
Benfica (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 14 points
Manchester City (English Premier League) – 13.5 points
Lorient (French Ligue 1) – 13.5 points
AZ Alkmaar (Dutch Eredivisie) – 13.5 points
Sparta Rotterdam (Dutch Eredivisie) – 13 points
PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie) – 12.25 points
Famalicão (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 11.83 points
Köln (German Bundesliga) – 11 points
Real Betis (Spanish La Liga) – 11 points
Roma (Italian Serie A) – 11 points
Sunderland (English Premier League) – 10 points
Bournemouth (English Premier League) – 10 points
Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga) – 10 points
St. Pauli (German Bundesliga) – 10 points
Rayo Vallecano (Spanish La Liga) – 10 points
Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 10 points
Nice (French Ligue 1) – 10 points
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Arouca (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 9.17 points
Everton (English Premier League) – 7.5 points
Brentford (English Premier League) – 7.5 points
Burnley (English Premier League) – 7.5 points
Alavés (Spanish La Liga) – 7.5 points
Lens (French Ligue 1) – 7.5 points
Auxerre (French Ligue 1) – 7.5 points
Real Sociedad (Spanish La Liga) – 6.5 points
Groningen (Dutch Eredivisie) – 6.17 points
Leeds United (English Premier League) – 6 points
Osasuna (Spanish La Liga) – 6 points
Angers (French Ligue 1) – 6 points
Rennes (French Ligue 1) – 6 points
Volendam (Dutch Eredivisie) – 5.67 points
Brest (French Ligue 1) – 5 points
Rio Ave (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 5 points
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Levante (Spanish La Liga) – 4.5 points
Sevilla (Spanish La Liga) – 4.5 points
Fulham (English Premier League) – 4 points
Elche (Spanish La Liga) – 4 points
Gil Vicente (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 3.83 points
Vitória de Guimarães (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 3.5 points
Go Ahead Eagles (Dutch Eredivisie) – 3.33 points
Twente (Dutch Eredivisie) – 2.67 points
NAC Breda (Dutch Eredivisie) – 2.67 points
Casa Pia (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 2.67 points
Crystal Palace (English Premier League) – 2.5 points
Newcastle United (English Premier League) – 2.5 points
Atlético Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 2.5 points
Fortuna Sittard (Dutch Eredivisie) – 2.5 points
Estoril Praia (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 2.5 points
Estrela da Amadora (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 2.17 points
Atalanta (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Cagliari (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Fiorentina (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Hellas Verona (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Pisa (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Udinese (Italian Serie A) – 2 points
Le Havre (French Ligue 1) – 2 points
Paris FC (French Ligue 1) – 2 points
Heerenveen (Dutch Eredivisie) – 1.67 points
Alverca (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 1.67 points
AVS Futebol SAD (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 1.67 points
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Manchester United (English Premier League) – 1 point
Brighton & Hove Albion (English Premier League) – 1 point
Hamburger SV (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Borussia Mönchengladbach (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Stuttgart (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Freiburg (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Heidenheim (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga) – 1 point
Valencia (Spanish La Liga) – 1 point
Celta Vigo (Spanish La Liga) – 1 point
Mallorca (Spanish La Liga) – 1 point
Genoa (Italian Serie A) – 1 points
Lecce (Italian Serie A) – 1 points
AC Milan (Italian Serie A) – 1 points
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Telstar (Dutch Eredivisie) – 0.83 points
Nacional (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 0.83 points
Excelsior (Dutch Eredivisie) – 0.67 points
Aston Villa (English Premier League) – 0.5 points
West Ham United (English Premier League) – 0.5 points
Girona (Spanish La Liga) – 0.5 points
Heracles Almelo (Dutch Eredivisie) – 0.17 points
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Wolverhampton Wanderers (English Premier League) – 0 points
Mainz (German Bundesliga) – 0 points
RB Leipzig (German Bundesliga) – 0 points
Oviedo (Spanish La Liga) – 0 points
Bologna (Italian Serie A) – 0 points
Lazio (Italian Serie A) – 0 points
Parma (Italian Serie A) – 0 points
Sassuolo (Italian Serie A) – 0 points
Torino (Italian Serie A) – 0 points
Nantes (French Ligue 1) – 0 points
Metz (French Ligue 1) – 0 points
Santa Clara (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 0 points
Tondela (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 0 points
Early Golden Boot Leaders Across Europe
As the first international break arrives, a handful of prolific forwards are already making their mark in Europe’s top seven leagues:
Premier League – Erling Haaland has hit the ground running for Manchester City, leading the Golden Boot race with three goals.
Serie A – Inter’s Marcus Thuram and Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović share the lead, each with two goals.
La Liga – Three players top the scoring charts with three goals apiece: Getafe’s Adrián Liso, Villarreal’s Tajon Buchanan, and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé.
Bundesliga – Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Michael Olise, along with Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, all sit on three goals.
Ligue 1 – Paris rivals dominate the early standings. PSG’s João Neves and Paris FC’s Ilan Kebbal each have three goals.
Eredivisie – Groningen’s Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson has made headlines with five goals already.
Primeira Liga – Rio Ave’s Clayton also leads the Portuguese top flight with five goals.
🏴 Premier League – Haaland (Man City), 3 goals
🇮🇹 Serie A – Thuram (Inter), Vlahović (Juventus), 2 goals each
🇪🇸 La Liga – Liso (Getafe), Buchanan (Villarreal), Mbappé (Real Madrid), 3 goals each
🇩🇪 Bundesliga – Kane, Olise (Bayern), Guirassy (Dortmund), 3 goals each
🇫🇷 Ligue 1 – Neves (PSG), Kebbal (Paris FC), 3 goals each
